1703: James Delancey, the British chief justice of New York who presided over the prosecution of newspaper entrepreneur Peter Zenger, is born.

1746: Robert Livingston is born. The lawyer-turned-diplomat goes on to negotiate one of the biggest deals in U.S. history, the purchase of French Louisiana for $15 million—about $242 million in today’s dollars. He will also be one of the principal backers of Robert Fulton’s newfangled steamboat, and with Fulton will enjoy a legislative monopoly on steamboat travel on the Hudson.

1779: The College of Pennsylvania is promoted to the University of Pennsylvania.

1839: The American Statistical Association is organized in Boston. At least, we have detected a close correlation with this date.

1874: One of the great-grandfathers of the law and economics movement, historian Charles (An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of theUnited States) Beard is born

1910: Pennsylvania Station, the largest railway station in the world, opens in New York. All the trains are late, setting a tradition.

1979: A former titan falls on hard times, as U.S. Steel announces it is closing 12 plants. It blames environmental regulations and the government’s failure to restrict cheap foreign imports.

1995: The nation’s biggest health care firm is formed by the merger of AmHS/Premier and SunHealth Alliance.